Niko & Katie's Wedding

June 20, 2009

Some people have wonderful taste! I can definitely say that for Katie and Niko. The locations for their wedding this past June were beautiful and very fun to use for their photos. First, the girls started out at Design One on Plainfield where they had their hair and make-up done. From there we went on to St. Mary's in Grand Rapids, where I got some of my VERY favorite "getting ready" shots ever. The cathedral's architecture was beautiful (although unfortunately, the outside was under construction and we couldn't use it for photos because of all the scaffolding).

The day was pretty warm but once we went to the big blue walking bridge in downtown GR (we saw at least three other wedding parties doing photos down there with us), we were getting a good breeze and didn't have to worry about it too much. I love some of the shots we got with Katie and Niko, and there were some good ones with the whole bridal party (even though we had some trouble with our jumping photo, haha!).

Last, we went to Noto's, an Italian restaurant on 28th Street that had this AMAZING staircase and basement. My only regret was that I feel like we should have done more photos there. At least we got quite a few good ones before the reception got going. It was great working with Katie and Niko, and it went pretty well since I met them for the very first time the Friday before the wedding. Congrats to the both of you!

Monica & Josh's Engagement Photos

June 28, 2009

Not all locations are created equal. When I shoot up north (back where I'm from in the Mid Michigan area), I always tend to have a hard time finding nice places to work with. One I've used a lot is in Gladwin at some property my Aunt Charlotte own, but other than that, I have a hard time finding places I really like.

Well Monica had a great choice for her engagement photos this weekend. Island Park in Mt. Pleasant. Oddly enough, I'm surprised I've never thought of it myself before. I used to go out to Island Park with a few friends back when we were in high school and just starting college and we had some good times out there. I guess I just never realized how nice of a photography spot it is!

Even though they had their summer celebration going on down there this weekend, we still had a lot of good locations to use (the river, railroad tracks, the bridges, etc.). Monica and I have been chatting online for a long time now so it was good to finally meet her and her fiance, Josh. Her younger brother, Doug, tagged along as well (check out his taming of the bear in the photos below!). It was a good session and it was fun chatting with the three of them. I'm excited to get to do their wedding in October!

Special thanks to my mom, Patti, for coming along to help in creating shade, you're the best, Mom!!!

Chris & Joan's Wedding

June 5, 2009

Not a cloud in the sky in Hudsonville when we arrived at the church. Jess Furrow (who helped me out for the first time with this wedding, check out her link on my website) and I got started right away as the girls were already doing their make-up and getting ready for the big day. From the very beginning, everyone was WONDERFUL to work with, the attendants, the family, and especially the bride and groom. Everyone was focused on the big day and made sure we had more than enough time to get all sorts of great photographs.

One of the coolest things we learned during our time prior to the ceremony was that Joan's mother, Mary, made EIGHT of the dresses worn by the girls in the wedding: the four bridesmaid dresses, Joan's beautiful wedding dress, two for the flower girl and her baby sister, as well as Mary's own. This woman is talented! Check out her work below. After the wedding, we headed to Grand Valley State University to do some photos at the alumni house. One of the wedding party's favorite shots was our jumping photos (see them below!). We had so much fun doing those, we did it twice.

I'd like to thank Joan and Chris so much for hiring Jenna Rose Photography for their wedding. They were the very first couple to hire me who hadn't met me before we talked about their wedding. Not to mention they even recommended me to a friend, so thanks to the both of you! Congratulations and have a wonderful life together!